Health News
- Beshear Says Ky. Rural Hospitals 'have A Positive Cash Flow' But He Can't Prove It; Industry Says It Sees 'some Improvement'
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Gov. Steve Beshear says Kentucky's rural hospitals are profitable again, thanks to his expansion of Medicaid, but he offers little evidence to support his claim, and the hospital industry disputes...
- Most Rural Hospitals In Kentucky Are Struggling Financially And Looking For Ways To Survive
Most rural hospitals in Kentucky are loosing money, putting them at risk of closing if they don't find another way to do business, Miranda Combs reports for Lexington's WKYT-TV. More than 65 percent of Kentucky rural hospitals...
- Oral Health Care For The Poor In Kentucky Suffers Under Managed Care As Dentists Leave Medicaid; How About Your County?
Kentucky's serious oral-health problems are getting worse because fewer dentists are participating in the Medicaid program -- a result of "new paperwork issues compounding Medicaid's reputation" for low payments to providers, Laura Ungar reports...
- Kentucky Hospitals Gave $1.96 Billion To Communities In 2011, Including $576.7 Million Cover Of Medicare, Medicaid Shortfalls
In 2011, despite economic and financial obstacles, Kentucky hospitals' estimated value of benefits to their communities up 17 percent from the year before, to $1.96 billion. So says the Kentucky Hospital Associated 2011 Community Benefits Report,...
- Rural Children Face More Health Risks; Most Parents Say Their Kids Are Healthy
Children in rural areas face more health challenges than those in urban parts of the country, and are more likely to be poor, more vulnerable to death from injuries, and more likely to use tobacco. Rural families also have more difficulty in gaining access...
Health News
Reports show impact of health-care industry in each of Kentucky's 120 counties
It's not often that such detailed data is broken down to the county level, but a new report looks at the economic impact of the local health-care system in each of Kentucky's 120 counties.
The reports, compiled at the University of Kentucky, look at the number of health-care jobs, as well as the revenue and income generated by the local health-care system. In many rural counties, the authors note, health care is the second largest industry, second only to local government.
The most important economic role of the health-care sector is to "keep local health-care dollars at home," the report says. If private insurance, consumer out-of-pocket payments and Medicare and Medicaid transfer payments aren't kept local, an outmigration of health-care services can take place. "This bypass of local health care remains an important issue for many rural health care providers and rural communities."
Conversely, if the local health-care sector can attract patients from outside the area, health care "can act as an export industry," the authors note. Because doctors and other providers can help improve the health and productivity of the local workforce, the health-care sector can also help an area recruit new and retain existing business.
The county reports include a comparison of household income with the state and nation, and indicates how that income is earned. In Boyle County, for example, 55.6 percent was earned through place-of-work earnings, while 22.6 percent was from transfer payments, such as those from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The reports also break down how much income is generated according to industry type, from 2000 to 2008.
Income earned by Boyle County residents working in the health-care sector increased 42 percent in those years, one of the largest areas of gains in the county. In all, health care accounted for 13 percent of industry in Boyle and generated more than $322 million in sales, more than $151 million in labor income and nearly 3,500 jobs in the area.
The report, available here, was compiled by Dr. Alison Davis, director of the Community and Ecomomic Development Initiative in Kentucky, part of UK's College of Agriculture. It was funded by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
The reports, compiled at the University of Kentucky, look at the number of health-care jobs, as well as the revenue and income generated by the local health-care system. In many rural counties, the authors note, health care is the second largest industry, second only to local government.
The most important economic role of the health-care sector is to "keep local health-care dollars at home," the report says. If private insurance, consumer out-of-pocket payments and Medicare and Medicaid transfer payments aren't kept local, an outmigration of health-care services can take place. "This bypass of local health care remains an important issue for many rural health care providers and rural communities."
Conversely, if the local health-care sector can attract patients from outside the area, health care "can act as an export industry," the authors note. Because doctors and other providers can help improve the health and productivity of the local workforce, the health-care sector can also help an area recruit new and retain existing business.
The county reports include a comparison of household income with the state and nation, and indicates how that income is earned. In Boyle County, for example, 55.6 percent was earned through place-of-work earnings, while 22.6 percent was from transfer payments, such as those from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The reports also break down how much income is generated according to industry type, from 2000 to 2008.
Income earned by Boyle County residents working in the health-care sector increased 42 percent in those years, one of the largest areas of gains in the county. In all, health care accounted for 13 percent of industry in Boyle and generated more than $322 million in sales, more than $151 million in labor income and nearly 3,500 jobs in the area.
The report, available here, was compiled by Dr. Alison Davis, director of the Community and Ecomomic Development Initiative in Kentucky, part of UK's College of Agriculture. It was funded by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
- Beshear Says Ky. Rural Hospitals 'have A Positive Cash Flow' But He Can't Prove It; Industry Says It Sees 'some Improvement'
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Gov. Steve Beshear says Kentucky's rural hospitals are profitable again, thanks to his expansion of Medicaid, but he offers little evidence to support his claim, and the hospital industry disputes...
- Most Rural Hospitals In Kentucky Are Struggling Financially And Looking For Ways To Survive
Most rural hospitals in Kentucky are loosing money, putting them at risk of closing if they don't find another way to do business, Miranda Combs reports for Lexington's WKYT-TV. More than 65 percent of Kentucky rural hospitals...
- Oral Health Care For The Poor In Kentucky Suffers Under Managed Care As Dentists Leave Medicaid; How About Your County?
Kentucky's serious oral-health problems are getting worse because fewer dentists are participating in the Medicaid program -- a result of "new paperwork issues compounding Medicaid's reputation" for low payments to providers, Laura Ungar reports...
- Kentucky Hospitals Gave $1.96 Billion To Communities In 2011, Including $576.7 Million Cover Of Medicare, Medicaid Shortfalls
In 2011, despite economic and financial obstacles, Kentucky hospitals' estimated value of benefits to their communities up 17 percent from the year before, to $1.96 billion. So says the Kentucky Hospital Associated 2011 Community Benefits Report,...
- Rural Children Face More Health Risks; Most Parents Say Their Kids Are Healthy
Children in rural areas face more health challenges than those in urban parts of the country, and are more likely to be poor, more vulnerable to death from injuries, and more likely to use tobacco. Rural families also have more difficulty in gaining access...